The Marked
by DarkspiritsXx
Summary: Six different people from different species have been chosen for a task; but can they accomplish it or will the darkness tear them apart?
1. Prophecy

While the Elves and Humans war and others hide, a darkness will begin to rise. Each god will choose a champion, a warrior worthy and humbled. The six combined can stop the war and bring peace, but against each other all hope will be lost.

Kasai will choose a youngling, one yet to transform. They will be the last of the true elemental dragons, one able to control all of the elements.

Aura will choose an outcast, one thought to be controlled by demons. They will be a true master of fighting, having learned everything possible for a Tengu.

The champion of Iru will be the last of the wolf shifters. They will have been the best in the colony, yet would have put aside their ways.

Voda must choose two champions, a Animor and a Human. The Animor will have been shunned for their whole life, her kind having abandoned her. She will possess a skill that she doesn't even know about. One that allows her to see the future in dreams.

The Human will be one of the last sorcerers of the land. She will be able to use all known magic and will be the strongest magician in known history if she can learn to control her powers.

Solum's champion will be dark, an outcast among their people. This champion will have an ability long forgotten and greatly feared, one that allows them to enter and alter another person's mind.

This is the prophecy that will bring peace to world for many hundreds of years. Those that fulfil this prophecy will carry a 'mark.' This 'mark' will give each of them powers that were either rare, or never before seen in their race. Only all of these powers brought together can destroy the rising evil, or raise it and guard it forever.


	2. 1 Life

Chapter 1

"I hate you!" Emerald yelled.

"Don't talk like that to your sister, Emerald!"

Emerald stormed off to her room and slammed her door shut. Her mother never understood; she wasn't the bad guy, her sister was. But her mother never saw it, she just blamed Emerald because she was the eldest.

Emerald faintly heard the sound of voices speaking and her younger sister crying. _Pathetic. _Emerald thought. Her sister got everything she wanted just because she was the youngest by two years. Exasperated, Emerald flopped down on her bed and stared at her bare stone ceiling. The walls were made of the same stone, all of them brought up from a nearby river. She heard footsteps heading toward her door and her anger fumed. When the sound got closer, she grabbed her diary and threw it at the door, hoping to scare off her incoming mother. It worked, if only for a little while. She knew her mother would try again soon.

"I have to get out of here," she said quietly to herself," I just can't live like this anymore." She had thought of running away before, but it had never felt quite right. This time though, it felt like the only of her problems could vanish with a single, risky action. Of course, she knew that running away had its own problems. _But I will conquer those in due time._

Quickly, she began thinking of everything she would need. As she sat on her cot making mental notes, a slight breeze began to pick up outside. Even though it was still summer, unexpected snow storms still flew in.

Emerald knew it would rain soon, as it always did when the winds started, and she decided to leave before that happened. She packed everything into a small satchel, including a knife, all of her money, and enough food for a week. She grabbed her riding cloak and headed to the door.

She yelled through the house that she was going into town. Before anyone could stop her, she headed out the door and towards the stables. She jumped onto her favorite speckled mare, Lucy, and galloped for the woods with the wind in her hair and smile at what might come in the approaching journey.

_How is it that I always end up in a cell? _thought Amar. After all, he never did any harm. He just messed around a little with the ladies, but it wasn't his fault that they all had husbands. But of course, trouble found him everywhere he went. The last town had been for killing a prized cow. It still wasn't his fault. He had just accidentally tripped with a knife in his hand, which had cut through the throat of the cow. No one had seen him though, they just saw the aftermath.

Amar knew it would be easy to escape, as it always was. He still had enough of the cow's blood to work a little spell to convince the guard to hand over the keys. Quietly, he pulled out a small vial filled with the blood. He poured it into his hands, closed his eyes and quickly began chanting the proper incantation. He heard a slight jingle as the guard walked over to his cell and set the keys down outside of it. Amar opened his eyes as soon as the guard walked away, and grabbed the keys. The guard would not remember any of it, as that was the beauty of blood magic.

Amar quietly put the key in the lock and opened the door. The guard was sound asleep back in his chair. He smiled and almost laughed at how intoxicated the guard must feel right now. He put the keys back on the guard's belt and walked out.

The sun blinded him for a moment, as there had been no lighting in the cell. A few people looked at him curiously, but he just smiled and continued for the front gates, walking by the small town houses of villagers and shops. He had to get out of here quickly, lest someone recognize him and tell the guards. He stopped once, just long enough to buy a few pounds of meat, then continued on his way.

The guards stationed at the gate gave him no trouble, for they only checked those who came into the town, not those that left. Once he was clear of the gates, he walked off the road and towards the distant mountains. He chuckled as he thought: _What mischief will I work next?_

Shadow stood in the clearing. He looked down at the body of his opponent, the one that had tried for a name just as Shadow had, but Shadow came out on top earning him the name that he was now to be called by any and all who met him. He had won this name because, during the battle he had shifted. His true form had shown itself. A wolf, a black wolf. Those ruled by Iru had a different form, one that worked with the human yet was separate.

Never before had his killing meant much to him, but today it won him a title. Before this, he had been a nobody, with no name to be called by just as the rest were. All that grew up in this colony were left nameless until they battled for a name. It was a fight to the death, and Shadow had proven to be the best.

Along with the name came a choice. He could choose to always fight in animal form and master his control of it, or choose a weapon that befit his shift but had to be used while in human, or demon, form. Shadow loved the feel of his wolf, but he was even more thrilled by using a weaker form to destroy his opponents and show them that looks meant nothing. Because of his shift, his weapon was now a very lethal knife. It was about as long as his forearm, and the handle was intricately carved with claw marks running along the handle. It was very rare for one to receive this weapon, as very few ever shifted into a wolf, let alone a jet black and very ferocious one.

Shadow walked out of the clearing, heading for the woods. He needed to be alone for a while. The image of the dead boy was still fresh on his mind and it bothered him. When he was out of sight of his teacher, he shifted and ran. He didn't know what he was running from, or what he was heading towards, but he could not stay here any longer. He ran towards the moon, hoping to put as much distance between him and the colony as possible before sunrise. If they caught him, he would be stripped of his title, tortured, and proclaimed an outcast among his people for running from his destiny. He ran even faster, thinking of what could happen. He would not be caught.

He ran for a week straight, only stopping to drink and catch game. By this time, he had shifted back to his human form and was heading for the far off lights of a city. His clothes were torn and muddied from having run through the woods, but his face still held the fresh look of his youth. When he walked up to the gates, he found two guards. They stared at him and looked around behind him, looks of shock on their faces.

"Where are your parents?" one guard asked.

"I don't have any."

"What is your business entering this city?" the other, older one asked him.

"I have come searching for lodgings for the night and food." he replied.

The guards gave him one final curious look and let him pass.

He immediately headed for the backstreets, having been taught to stay hidden. His footsteps were silent on the cobblestones streets as he looked for the sign of an inn.

_Why?_ she thought. _Why?_

It had been two weeks since her sister had been killed. Anna had run away before she ended up with the same fate. She had no money, no family left. All she had were the clothes on her back, her cloak and her will to live.

When she had first started running, she had no initial direction. She just wanted to get as far away from the town as possible. She had tried to stay away from towns and cities, but now her hunger was winning out. She had no weapons and didn't know how to set traps.

Anna headed for the closest town, Fairiyvern, which was only about a 2 hour walk. When she finally reached the town, the guards let her in without question but with curious looks. Perhaps it was her appearance, or maybe because of the way she kept her face concealed? Anna didn't know and she wasn't in the mood to ask questions. Then she remembered that she had no money and she began to lose hope. _What if I can steal it? _she thought. She had always made a great pickpocket back with her sister. They used to play games to see who could get the most without getting caught.

_Ellen! _The sudden memory put her on the verge of tears, but she refused to cry. She had to get food and get out of this town, fast. She didn't know if the villagers still hunted her or had counted her as dead.

She sat down for a good hour or so, trying to regain some energy. Then she got up and headed for the gates with a plan beginning to form. She passed a lady carrying a bag and patiently followed her. When the woman set the bag down to talk to the guards, she grabbed it and ran out the front gates.

Anna immediately heard shouts of disapproval, but she continued to run. She ran until she collapsed. By then, it was already pitch black and she layed down her head on the grass and soon dozed off, forgetting about the bag she still held, full of food that would save her life.

**And here we meet four of the six! Please review!**


	3. 2 The Runaway

Chapter 2-

It had been a week since Emerald had run away. She had traveled through the woods the whole time, but now her supplies were running low. Riding on horseback and sleeping on the cold, hard ground was finally getting to her. Every morning she woke up, she was stiff and exhausted. She had to push herself to even eat in the mornings.

_Tonight, I will head into a town and sleep in a real bed. _she thought. When she really thought about going into town though, the idea didn't please her. She was still afraid of getting noticed and even worse, caught. The town she was headed towards was a rather large town in the region. Many merchants and vendors from all over Cynrath gathered here this time of year. Her mother had been known throughout many towns because of her work and had helped just about everyone that traveled in the area. She was an artist after all. Emerald remembered all the paintings that had laid around the house, waiting to be sold. She remembered her mother's oil stained apron hanging up next to her newest piece of work, a painting of a family that lived not far from her house. The family had already been painted and a dog started down by their feet, with the background still left untouched. The thought of the paintings disgusted her. _I won't ever go back._

While she had been thinking, she had forgotten that she was riding and her horse had veered towards a distant road. She tried to pull on the reins to get it back on track but it stubbornly kept on. A sudden rustle in the brush made her horse rear up. Emerald wasn't prepared for it and she fell off, landing on the dirt trail with a _thump_. She winced as she her body took the impact and shuddered from the hardness of it.

She stood up and massaged her bruised shoulder and hip. She looked around to find that her horse had run off. _At least I still have my supplies._ she thought. She had chosen to wear her satchel instead of attach it to the horse in case this very thing were to happen. She was glad she had made that decision, but now she had to walk instead of ride. On horseback, the nearest city would have been a half a day's ride. On foot she would be lucky to make it there by nightfall. _Just great._ she thought. That horse had also been her favorite. She regretted losing it, and as she thought about it, she remembered training the horse when it was just a young foal. Tears began to come to her eyes at the rush of memories, but she pushed them back, looking for something else to focus on.

Then she remembered what had scared her horse. The rustle in the brush had been too large to be a rabbit, and no wolves or bears roamed this area. She went over to examine the brush, but found no signs of what had made the noise. She looked up over the treetops and saw a small tendril of smoke against the sky. She knew that no town could be that close. _Possibly a cottage of sorts? _she thought. She yearned for another human, as her horse wasn't much company, but she dreaded running into a witch. They were known to live throughout the forest, but Emerald had only heard stories of their wicked ways.

She carefully picked her way through the brush and towards the smoke, hoping against hope it wasn't something harmful. After walking for about an hour, she stumbled upon a clearing. She saw the remnants of fire in the center, yet no other marks to prove that people had been here. She looked a little closer around the clearing and found a spot in the brush where people had walked. She decided to follow. _Maybe they can help me. The town is too far off to reach before nightfall and I have no way to make a fire._

She followed the trail the best she could, but the fading light was making it harder and harder. Emerald had just made the decision to turn back when she suddenly felt a sharpness at her neck and tried to look down, only to find a knife being held to her throat. Immediately she froze, knowing that a sudden movement could bring death.

"Why are you following us?" a voice asked. It had no kindness or warmth, just the cold, hard steel of a hardened warrior.

"I came looking for help." she barely managed to choke out against the lump of fear that had formed in her throat..

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you right now." Again, the steel in his voice made her think of a warrior who had no compassion for life. _Because I have a life ahead of me. _Emerald thought. _And because I don't go around threatening innocent travelers. _But instead of speaking, she hung her head sadly. She didn't want to reveal anything to him. _Let him think I'm a weakling girl that can be so easily intimidated_.

"Just get it over with then." she whispered, knowing he couldn't do anything without sufficient reason. She immediately thought back to her sister and mother and she wondered why she had ever left.

"Oh, let her live, Argent." a new unexpected female voice said. Quietly, a shadow slipped out of the woods to stand in front of Emerald. She stared at the person, wondering why he would listen to this girl. Yet Emerald saw no sign of fear in the stance and appearance of this new female.

"Bring her to the camp, so we can get a closer look at her." Emerald felt the body behind her stiffen at the words, but he complied. The shadow female started walking away and Emerald followed after the knife was lifted from her throat.

She walked into a small clearing where a fire burned low. Next to the fire was a figure, the same one that had spared her life. Then she noticed a figure walking at the edge of her vision. That one must have been the one threatening to kill her. She tried to see the face of the person next to the fire, but she wore a cloak with the hood pulled up and over her face. _Why would she be wearing that? _Emerald thought. It was summer with the nights being warm, even for this time of year.

"Well?" the woman huffed. "Come closer so we can get a better look at you." Emerald slowly walked into the light and heard a muffled gasp from the person next to the fire. The man she suspected must be Argent tensed when he heard her. Emerald still hadn't seen his face, for he wore a long cloak with the hood pulled up in a similar manner as the other.

Argent slowly walked into the woods, his form seeming to meld with the shadows. "The eyes." she heard the woman mutter. Then she found herself face first on the ground and her hands being pulled behind her with a great weight on her back. She went stiff with fear when she felt the tautness of a rope and winced at how tight it was tied. _How can this be happening?_ Her head thumped from the impact with the ground and her vision started to blur around the edges.

"Why did you follow us?" Argent asked. This time, his tone seemed much more intimidating. "Who told you how to find us?"

"N..no one." she stumbled before fainting.

When Emerald awoke, she groaned. It felt like she had been hit on the head with a rock. When she tried to move her arms, she found them tied together and the last events of the night came rushing back. She glanced around to see two sleeping figures on the ground. Then, she remembered about her satchel. She had placed a knife in it before she had left. _Maybe I can cut myself loose. _she thought.

Carefully, so as not to awaken the others, she slid her arms under her legs so they were in front of her. She found her satchel a few feet away on the ground, possibly dropped during last night's events. She scrambled around inside the satchel to find her knife. As she began cutting away at the ropes, a shadow dropped over her. She looked up to find Argent standing in front of her. His hood was down and she finally saw his face. It shocked her more than his voice had. His face was an ashen gray color and it looked to have been chiseled out of rock. His eyes burned with an unnatural black light, almost like fire. His hair looked like dark purple mixed with black and two ram looking horns curved back behind his ears.

"I spared your life once. I won't do it again." Argent said. Emerald suddenly found the knife out of her grasp and stuck in a nearby tree. She hadn't even seen him move. _And I didn't hear him get up._ He walked away, but she felt him watching her, waiting for her to try to escape. Emerald's lip quivered with fear at what had just happened. Who were these people and what did they want with her?

She stubbornly sat down at the base of a tree. If she was going to be a captive, she wouldn't do it willingly. She knew she would escape, she just had to. _What is he? _she thought. Just now, the realization at what she had seen hit her full force. _Horns? Ashen skin? Pitch black eyes? Maybe I hit my head a little harder than I thought. _But the thought of what she'd seen still scared her.

She heard sounds of movement and looked towards the fire. "Looks like you're up early. My name is Anna by the way." Emerald looked to the hooded figure standing next to the coals of the previous night's fire. The pile still smoked and the ashen air seemed to toy with the colors on the cloak, making it look almost like it was sucking the color out of the world.

While Emerald had been staring at Anna, Argent had walked into the clearing and begun to pick up the camp. When everything was finished he asked," Are you just going to stay here and stare at each other or are we going to get moving?" He directed the question at Anna, but Emerald couldn't help but feel guilty. _Why am I feeling guilty? I'm not supposed to be helping them._

"Come, you're riding with me today." Anna called as she started walking towards a horse. When Emerald approached her, Anna held out a knife and began cutting her ropes. Emerald stared at her, not believing her luck. "Well, you can't ride very well with them tied together, can you?" Anna asked. "Now get on, and quick. We have a lot of time to make up."

Emerald's hope vanished like a wisp of smoke. She was never going to escape. She thought back to the last time she had seen her family and again, she regretted her decision of ever leaving them. Anna jumped up in front of her and grabbed the reins. She spurred the horse onward, following Argent. Anna moved her horse at a slower pace, while Argent scouted ahead. The going was rough and Emerald almost fell off twice, but because of this she had begun to formulate a plan.

The ground became even worse, and this time when the horse reared up out of a hole, she pushed up with her legs to make herself fall off. She hit the ground on her already bruised side. _Not again. _she thought. She quickly got up and turned to run into the forest, her hope know raging like a fire inside her. They had been riding on a larger trail that could easily fit three horses chest to chest and was very rough. It looked as though a road could have been here but had since been demolished, explaining all the holes. They had been riding about down the middle of the trail and Emerald only had about ten feet before she would be in the forest. "Please don't run." Anna called. Emerald ignored her and ran as fast as her legs could carry her. She kept running for as long as she could, but when she heard no signs of pursuit, she slowed.

Emerald traveled through the forest for days, only drinking from the small pools of water she found on her way. She had no means to collect food and her experience with plants was small. All the vegetation looked the same by now, and the trees began to seem to be casting an eerie darkness over Emerald. She started feeling like the trees were moving, closing in on her. After the fourth day, she couldn't stand it anymore. She felt like she was going crazy and no food was only worsening the matter. She regretted ever having left Anna and she thought of the punishment Argent might give her because she had escaped. After this thought, she looked to the sky, hoping to find a tendril of smoke. She saw none so she headed back the direction she come.

A few days later, Emerald stumbled upon the same trail that she had made her escape. She looked to the sky again but saw no signs that they had made camp anywhere around the area. _What was I thinking? They could be hundreds of miles away already if they kept traveling. _With this new thought in Emerald's head, she blindly stumbled forward along the trail. When she was about to collapse from exhaustion, she saw the faintest tendril of smoke against the sky. _That has to be them! _With hopes restored, Emerald increased her efforts to find the little group who had kidnapped her.

She traveled into the dead of night but found she could go no further. Her knees gave out and she laid sprawled along the roots of the trees. Sleep easily overtook her and she didn't fight it, but let it come while she wished she had Anna. With these last thoughts in her head, she fell asleep and began to dream.


	4. 3 Found

Chapter 3-

When Emerald awoke, she groaned. Her whole body felt like it was on fire. She vaguely remembered her journey through the woods and her desperate search. As her senses slowly returned, she started hearing snatches of people talking. It was too low for her to make out the words, but she could at least tell the direction they were coming from.

She slowly craned her head to try to see sources of the voice, but full feeling had not yet returned to her body. "I wouldn't try to move just yet." Anna voice said. _I made it! _Emerald thought. _Now I know my efforts weren't in vain._

"You really shouldn't have run." Anna said. "If it weren't for the state we found you in, Argent would have punished you for it." Anna glanced back at Argent, but he simply moved over to tend to the horses, pretending not to hear. _Yeah right. _Emerald thought. She knew better than that already, he had ears like an owl.

Again, Emerald tried to move, and succeeded in lifting one arm off the ground. As she studied her hand, she noticed that she wasn't tied up anymore. When she looked quizzically over at Anna she only said,"Didn't think you would try to run again after your trip through the woods." Emerald had to admit, her hopes of escaping had gone down greatly after her failure to survive on her own.

Emerald tried to stand, but only managed to reach a sitting position. _Why do I feel so weak? _she wondered. Her only guess was that hope had clouded her mind so she didn't feel her own tiredness. Inside her, she felt a sudden, unexpected need to run. In her childhood years she had been bullied just for fun, yet she had never run away from a fight. In fact, she had never wanted to run from anything out of fear, but this wasn't fear, it was something else. Emerald had never gotten this feeling before and now it was overwhelming her. She didn't want to run from her captors, but rather something that was heading towards them...

"We have to leave, now." Argent called as he began packing up camp.

"Why?" Anna asked.

"They're almost upon us." was his only response. She felt that his words meant more to Anna than they implied. Slowly, Emerald got to her feet, swaying like a drunk. Her head still throbbed, but at least she could stand. She started heading towards Anna's horse, expecting to ride with her, when Anna called out," You're riding with Argent. We don't need you slowing us down today."

Wearily, Emerald glanced over in his direction and surprisingly, found him looking like a normal human. His eyes were now a dark moss green color, and his face was softer looking than it was with horns and ashen skin. _Maybe that never happened after all. _she thought. Carefully, she made her way towards Argent's horse, a large chestnut brown mare. She stood there, waiting for directions, hoping to make any possible rebellion she could. "Get on." Argent ordered with a touch of malice in his voice. Emerald had been hoping to ride behind him, but apparently his mind was set on her not falling off again. _Just great. _

Emerald hated every moment on that saddle, feeling as though she were in a cell. She couldn't move, just desperately cling and hope not to fall. Argent spurred his horse into a full out run, hoping to get far away quickly. _What are they running from?_ Emerald thought desperately. Anything that Argent feared, she knew would be worse than even she could imagine.

The horses ran full out for the better part of a day, only stopping for water. Emerald got tired of sitting there, not being able to do anything, and she decided to try and strike up a conversation with Argent.

"What are you running from?" she asked. She thought it was an innocent enough question, but Argent didn't seem to. He stiffened as if he'd been slapped.

"I am not running from anything." he said. Just the way he said it should have told her to stop talking, but she wasn't about to give up yet.

"Then who is following you?" This time, Argent turned her around in the saddle and glared at her, once again looking like a horrible beast with horns. Emerald made no other comment and Argent nodded to himself before turning her back around.

It had just turned to nightfall when the group stopped and made camp. Emerald helped only because riding on a horse that long made her terribly stiff. Argent headed into the woods while Anna started tending to a fire. Emerald slowly walked around the clearing, hoping to ease the pain out of her muscles. Argent showed back up about ten minutes later with a deer slung over his shoulder. Emerald was surprised, she didn't see any weapons on him, yet he couldn't have killed it bare handed.

Quickly, Anna and Argent began to skin and clean the deer. When that was done, Anna put it over the fire to cook. Emerald's stomach rumbled, she hadn't eaten anything in probably over a week and it was beginning to wear her down. She sat down stubbornly, not wanting to help her captors anymore than she already had. She was amazed to find a piece of meat ended up at her feet. She had been daydreaming and had not even noticed the deer was done. The smell wafted to her nostrils and she carefully picked up the burnt piece. She tested it. _It's a little overdone. _she decided. It was tough and stringy but anything would have tasted good right now.

When she finished, she curled up and tried to fall asleep. It wasn't until now that she realized the full extent of her exhaustion. Sleep easily found her and she drifted off into her dreams. _Emerald's body seemed to float over the camp. By some unseen force, she'd drifted up and back towards the way they had come. In the distance, she saw small lights moving steadily closer. She headed in that direction and was amazed to find a group of three people with pointed ears, long white hair, and large crystal like eyes. Elves, if she remembered the stories correctly. They were said to live in parts of Eldine, a large southern island almost far enough to be on the other side of the world. The main capital and military construct were found on the mainland, but on the very tip on the other side of the world. _

Then the dream changed. _Emerald was now in the snow covered mountains surrounded by the Ustecia Forest. She saw a slight column of misty gray smoke and began to drift in that direction. As she got closer, she realized it was a cottage. It was small, yet seemed well built. She also saw a small figure that was looking in her direction, as if it saw her. When Emerald could see it more clearly, she thought it was another Elf, but this one seemed different. Something wasn't right about him, he just felt sort of..._

Emerald was awoken by a boot in her back. "We have to move, now!" Anna said. It felt like someone else was controlling her body as she quickly got up and moved to help pack up camp. Suddenly, she froze. She wasn't in control of her body at all, it was as if something had just taken hold. She turned to face the way they had come, just as an Elf jumped out of the shadows. He was tall and muscular as well as agile. He moved with blinding speed as most Elves could, but he was slowed by the large blade in his hand.

Before the Elf could move more than two steps, he was dispatched by Argent. The knife in Argent's hand glinted with a red light in the darkness. Emerald shivered at the thought of blood on the knife. Then another Elf jumped out of the shadows, but this time, the Elf appeared on the other side of the clearing. This one, a female, began to move towards Anna. She too was quick, but Anna matched her speed and agility. Emerald had little time to wonder at this, along at Anna's tail that was flowing underneath her cloak. Argent began to move but Emerald had already started chanting. Within a second, the Elf fell to the ground, blood streaming from her mouth. No one had anytime to move when the last of the Elves jumped out of the treeline around the small clearing. This Elf was far taller and much better built than the other ones had been. He rushed straight at Argent, who was still staring at the body of the second Elf.

Emerald ran to intercept the Elf heading for Argent, but she knew it was hopeless. The Elves were much quicker than humans, even when loaded with very heavy weapons. She would never make it in time. Then a thought popped into her head and she rapidly began chanting again. A look of horror passed over the Elf's face when the words reached his ears. He quickly changed direction, running back towards the woods. He had just made it to the treeline when his whole body erupted in flames. His screams filled the night as Emerald fell down, feeling faint as Anna and Argent rushed over to her. The last thing she remembered before blacking out was finally regaining control of her body.

Emerald opened her eyes to find Anna standing over her, saying something. She couldn't tell what, she only saw her mouth moving. _Have I gone deaf? _she thought. Then her hearing returned and her head felt as though a thunderstorm raged inside it. "Can you hear me?" Anna was asking repeatedly. Emerald was barely able to nod her head, but apparently Anna got the message. Emerald tried to move her head but only succeeded in hurting her neck.

"What happened?" Emerald asked.

"We were hoping you could tell us." Anna replied. _Us?_ Emerald thought. Then she remembered. _Argent! What had happened to him? Was he okay? _When Emerald looked back at Anna, she found Anna grinning. Emerald blushed. _When did I start caring about him? _Then she noticed Anna's hand. It was covered in a very thick white fur. At first glance, it only looked like a pair of gloves but upon closer inspection, Emerald thought it looked more like it was actually growing on Anna.

Emerald finally managed to sit up and look around. She was still in the clearing but now blood covered most of the ground. The sudden memory at what she had done startled her. _Was that me? _she thought. She still wasn't sure what to believe. One day, she had been living a content life on the road and the next she found that magic and the other four races still existed. _How did I get thrown into this mess? _she thought. At first, she had just been in shock, thinking this wasn't real. Now the full reality hit her like a tornado.

As she continued to look around, she spotted a shadow that didn't quite fit into the treeline. She began to worry that it was another Elf, but she was relieved when Argent stood up and walked towards her. His face was slightly human but it still had some of the demon like characteristics. Emerald's worry soon returned however, when she saw the glint of a knife in his hand and the look of anger on his face. She tried to get up and run, but she was still too tired. She sat there, waiting for something to happen. Argent stopped right next to her and put the knife to her throat. "Why did you follow us?" The same question he had already asked twice.

"I was looking for help because I had nothing else. I ran away and I was desperate. I wouldn't have made it to the closest town by nightfall and I had no way to survive on my own. Then after not being able to fend for myself in the forest, I figured you were my only chance at survival." The whole time she had been talking, they had been studying each others faces. Argent's had stayed impassive the whole time, as if nothing was happening. Emerald knew her face had shown a little more than her words had.

Throughout the whole exchange, Anna had sat there, waiting to see what would happen. After Emerald finished speaking, Anna said,"So you have no idea what you are?"

"What do you mean?"

"Have you ever heard of the Forsaken Prophecy?" Argent asked. Emerald was startled when he spoke, as she had not been expecting it. She shook her head.

"I have only heard that it was suppose to be a prophecy that concerned the War of Cynrath that had never came about. Hence the Forsaken part." The whole while she had been talking, Anna and Argent had been shaking their heads.

"It was not meant for the War of Cynrath. It was meant for after, much later when the races again began to war. That time has come, and it seems the prophecy has begun. Of course, the only races now known to humans are the Elves, all other races are supposedly extinct."

"So what exactly does the prophecy say?" Emerald asked. Anna dug around in her bag a little before pulling out an ancient looking tome. She flipped through it to find the page she wanted.

"This book is called De bello Cynrath, meaning the History of the War of Cynrath. This is the prophecy:' While the Elves and Humans war and the others hide, a darkness will begin to rise. Each god will choose a champion, a warrior worthy and humbled. The six together can stop the war and bring peace, but against each other all hope will be lost.

Kasai will choose a youngling, one yet to transform. They will be the last of the true elemental dragons, one able to control all elements.

Aura will choose an outcast, one thought to be controlled by demons. They will be a true master of the ways of the Tengu, having learned everything.

The champion of Iru will be the last of the wolf shifters. They will have been the best in the colony, yet would have put aside their ways for the balance of the world.

Voda must choose two champions, a Animor and a Human. The Animor will have been shunned for their whole life, their kind having abandoned it. It will possess a skill that it doesn't even know about, one that allows it to see the future in dreams.

The Human will be one of the last sorcerers of the land. They will be able to use all known magic and will be the strongest sorcerer in known history if they can learn to control their powers.

Solum's champion will be dark, an outcast among their people. This champion will have an ability long forgotten and greatly feared, one that allows them to see and alter another's mind.

This is the prophecy that will bring peace to the world for many hundreds of years. Those that are meant to fulfill this prophecy will carry a mark. This mark will give each of them powers that are rare or never before seen in their race. All of these powers brought together can destroy the rising evil and set the world to peace, or fail and raise the darkness and forever be under its power.' That is the prophecy meant for now." The whole time Emerald had been listening intensly, for she had never before heard this prophecy.

"What does this have to do with anything?" Emerald asked, bewildered and a little shocked.

"Do you not understand? You are part of the prophecy, the Human sorcerer!" Anna replied.

"But I don't have a mark and prophecies don't truly exist. It is only an old belief, and one that didn't last long."

"You do have a mark, actually." Argent whispered. "When I knocked you out, it glowed across your skin and again when I found in the forest. I put it aside at first, thinking it meant nothing, but I guess the prophecy explains it." Emerald was astonished at this as she had never seen any mark on her body. _I wonder what it looks like? _she thought.

"How do we find the other people that are marked? They could be anywhere in all of Cynrath! And what if it's a joke? I mean, I never even heard the actual prophecy until now and now you think that I'm part of it?" Emerald exclaimed.

"Well, we already have at least two of the marked." Argent said.

"What do you mean?" Anna put in. Argent rolled up his sleeve and showed his wrist but nothing was there. Then Argent grabbed Emerald's wrist and put her's besides his. A faint blue mark showed up on both of their wrists, a rose with a star above it. Emerald was amazed. _How is he part of the prophecy? _she thought. He had skill, yes, but he would never try and help the world. And by the way, he had almost killed her without a second thought and that put a truth to this theory.

"What does this all mean though? The Humans and Elves aren't at war with each other. And if the other races do exist, wouldn't they try and help?" Emerald said. Argent got a sudden sick look on his face, as if he was looking at a deformed animal.

"Come, we must hurry to the nearest city. More Elves will surely come when the others do not return."

Argent quickly rose and turned towards the horses, not bothering to answer her question. Emerald still felt weary from her first experience with magic but she quickly complied. Anna helped to clean up the rest of the camp and then headed towards her horse. Emerald wondered who she would be riding with this time. Argent glanced at her and when he caught her eye she raised an eyebrow, and he nodded. She steadily made her way towards Argent's horse and got on. Argent jumped up behind her and with a quick glance at Anna, they rode off.


	5. 4 Verac

Chapter 4

Emerald had been out collecting wood for the fire and was now making her way back to camp. Anna had been the one to let her wander away from the camp a little ways. Argent hadn't approved of the idea but let her do so with a warning. "If you try to run, I will know. I will hunt you down and kill you no matter how far you end up." Emerald had taken his words to heart and decided running wasn't a very good idea. Deep down inside her, she still wanted to be free, but part of her wanted to stay. _How can I want to stay with the very people that kidnapped me and tied me up? _she thought. She had learned the true reason they were keeping her. The first time Anna had seen her, she had noticed Emerald's eyes. Eyes like hers were signs of a sorcerer which is why they had decided not to kill her.

She was nearing camp and she started to hear whispers. As Anna and Argent noticed her presence, all talking ceased. Emerald quietly put the wood near the fire, trying to act as if nothing had happened. She tended to the fire, but she felt the stares of Anna and Argent on her back. Anna finally spoke up saying,"We were starting to think you had run off." Emerald just shook her head and continued tending the fire.

"Maybe we should tell her." Anna said to Argent.

"No." Argent replied. His voice had a tone of finality to it that was unmistakable.

"What are you keeping from me? I am already a prisoner and I already know that escape is just about impossible, yet you don't tell me anything!" Emerald had not meant to sound so angry, but something inside of her had just snapped. She felt a power rushing up in her, but she forced it down. She couldn't just start attacking the only people that could protect her out here. She had to learn how to control her powers. "Sorry." she muttered, embarrassed. Anna and Argent were both staring at her. Anna with a look of surprise and Argent with a look of disgust.

"Anyway," Anna continued, a little shaken. "We were deciding if we should take a detour through the mountains to throw the Elves off. The only problem is that we don't have the needed supplies."

"Maybe we can head to a city, get the needed supplies, and then head towards the mountains." Emerald suggested. It might be a slight detour to the nearest town, but what did they have to lose? If they weren't properly prepared for the trip through the mountains, then they would risk losing their lives.

"Sounds innocent enough coming from someone who is likely to try to escape the next chance she gets." Argent put in. He was looking at Emerald, waiting to pounce at any moment if she made a move.

"You still don't trust me?" Emerald scoffed. She had proven her loyalty to not run, hadn't she. _What more does he want from me? _she thought. Sure she still longed to be free, but it seemed as though they needed more help than she did and her last escape attempts hadn't worked. Emerald tried to change the subject, as Argent's eyes still bore into her, making her shiver.

"Why are the Elves hunting you two any way?" she asked.

"None of your concern." Argent put in hastily just as Anna opened her mouth to speak. Argent glared at her, but she ignored him.

"They are looking for a little payback after what Argent did to one of their own." Anna said. Emerald wondered at this, trying to figure out what Argent could have done to make them angry enough to chase them almost halfway across the world. They did live on the mainland but the capital was still on the other side of the world. "Anyway," Anna continued. "We need to figure out if we are to take the mountain passage or the city route. The mountains would be safer, but we will need to buy proper supplies. Through the cities, the Elves will be able to track us with ease."

"The mountain pass it is then." Argent muttered. "Get some sleep, we start early tomorrow to be able to reach the closest town by nightfall." With that, he shimmied up a tree and took a lookout position while Anna and Emerald got ready to sleep.

Emerald awoke with a start. The horse beneath her leaned to the side, almost making her fall off. _How did I get on the horse? _she thought. The last thing she remembered was falling asleep last night and feeling Argent's watchful eyes on her. She felt a body press against her's from behind and she turned as much as she could in the saddle. Argent was sitting behind her, looking straight ahead. He pretended as if she wasn't there, but said," Did you sleep well?" This was surprising coming from Argent. He almost never made small talk; that is, unless he is threatening to kill you.

The question took Emerald off guard. She was still half asleep and now the one who would take a life without even thinking was talking to her? _This is too good to be true. He has never sounded this innocent. _she decided. "Yes." she muttered, still bewildered that he had asked.

"Did I say something wrong?" Argent said.

"No. Nothing." Emerald said. She wanted to add more but didn't know how. Argent raised a questioning eyebrow at her, challenging her to finish."I just wasn't expecting you to ask me anything." she finished dumbly. _How is it I am always embarrassing myself in front of him? _she thought.

"We are almost to Verac. We should reach the city within the next few hours." Emerald looked around, confused. It couldn't be that late already. The closest city had been at least a day's ride away on horse. She saw the sun already close to the horizon, the orange and purple glow starting to fill the sky. _How did I sleep that long? _she wondered. _And why didn't they wake me?_ The last thought was even more worrisome than the first. _Why would they let me sleep? _

"We didn't want to startle you into using your powers. We have no idea how strong you are, and it was sort of a thank you for what you did the other day. And besides, what you did probably drained you of more energy than you realized, especially because it was your first time using magic and you were still weary from your adventure in the woods." Argent said to answer her unspoken question. Emerald had been so deep in thought, she had forgotten about the man behind her. _Was I speaking out loud? _she wondered. She didn't remember her mouth moving, but then how else could Argent have known her question?

She focused on the road ahead, more of a deer trail really. The area seemed to grow even more wooded the further they went. _This must be the Ustecia Forest, located at the base of the mountains._ The city they were headed to was located deep within the forest, as close to the mountains as you can get without actually seeing them. The horse started to fall again, but Argent expertly righted it. _Maybe I can get him to open up. _Emerald decided. It was at least worth a try.

"Where is Anna?" Emerald started off. She didn't want to go too deep, better to start off slow.

"Scouting ahead. She is able to go faster because her horse only has one rider." he replied. Emerald couldn't help but blush. If it weren't for her, they would have already been at their destination.

"Why are the Elves truly tracking you?" she said, to change the subject. Argent grimaced before replying, "I killed one of their leaders. The leader of their Elven armies. They didn't take to kindly to that."

"Why would you kill the leader of their army? Only a fool would do that, and one that had a death wish." She said it a little more bitter than she had intended, but Argent didn't seem to mind.

"I was hired to." he said quietly. Emerald took this in. He had been hired to kill the war leader of an Elven army. _But only assassins are hired to..._ she didn't finish the thought. Now everything made sense as she put the pieces together, his deadly accuracy with any weapon, his ability to hunt, why he was running. _No. _she thought. It couldn't be, she was traveling with an assassin. She tried to throw herself off the horse but Argent was prepared for it. He had been expecting some reaction like this.

"Let me go!" she yelled. She had to get away from him. She would not be held captive by an assassin, especially one that claimed to belong to a sixth race of demons. She kept trying to throw herself off, but it wasn't working. "Stop struggling!" Argent said firmly. Emerald calmed her movements down a little, waiting for the perfect opportunity to escape. _I will escape. _she thought. She was not going to continue to travel with an assassin willingly. Argent slowed the horse and turned her around to look at him. He held onto her tightly, not letting her look away. She tried to refuse, but he was too strong. "I am not proud of what I am, nor of what I have done, but that is the way I live. The colony I grew up in trained us to be this way. I was born to be a killer and I have fully embraced it. I only kill those I am hired to unless they give me a reason to anyway." This last sentence was definitely said as a threat. Emerald quickly looked away, not wanting to look at him any longer. Argent let her go and spurred the horse onward. The rest of the ride was silent.

The group had arrived at Verac a few hours ago. It was a slightly larger town than what Emerald was used to, but still small. It was divided into two sections: living quarters and a working section. The inns were found in the middle of the town with stores located at the front and housing in the back. Emerald had stayed away from Argent as much as possible, but it didn't work out too well. She did, however, get to go shopping with Anna while Argent took off on his own. The girls bought new clothes for the trip, and enough food for a month. They also went to a weapons store.

"Why are we here?" Emerald asked.

"Well, we can't just travel through the mountains without everyone having something to defend themselves. What if your magic doesn't kick in? Plus, you don't know how to control it yet. You need a backup." Emerald was astonished that they would trust her with a weapon. _Maybe they do trust me a little more. _Anna led her to the back of the store to a section full of staffs. _Maybe they don't trust me after all._

"Well, go ahead. Choose one." Anna said.

"How will I know if it works for me."

"Trust me, you'll know."

Emerald tried several staffs. The first one had been too long; she couldn't balance it right. The second one had been too short and weighted down on one end. The third had seemed right at first, but when she tried to twist it through the air, it ended up being too heavy. She tried several more after that, but none seemed to work just right. She was about to give up when her hand brushed against a peculiar looking red one. She picked it up and found that it was perfect height. She tested the balance in her hand, and finally, the weight of it. Everything seemed perfect. The staff felt like it was a natural extension to her, as if it had always been there.

"This one." Emerald said. Anna nodded her head and led her to a different part of the store. This section contained short blades and knives. Emerald stood back as Anna picked up each one and tested it by flipping it in the air and twirling it in her hands. She finally settled on a pair of knives decorated with vines wrapped around the base. Anna carefully handed them to Emerald and began walking towards the clerk.

Emerald laid the items down on the table and the clerk told them,"Three shillings." Anna and the clerk began the bargaining argument, Anna trying to talk him down and the clerk trying to talk them up. Anna finally knocked the price down to one shilling before the clerk agreed. He didn't look too happy about it, but he gave them no further trouble.

Anna and Emerald made their way back to the horses where Argent was waiting. He quickly glanced at what they had got and then glared at Anna. She cooly returned his gaze and even shrugged her shoulders at him. Argent got on his horse while Emerald and Anna attached all of their bags onto a pack horse they had also bought. Emerald headed towards Anna's horse when Argent motioned her over. She tried to keep her face impassive, but grimaced despite herself. She had almost forgotten about what he was but now the memory hit her full force. "_I was born a to be a killer." _she remembered him saying. Emerald hopped up on the horse behind Argent and pretended he wasn't there.

The horses trotted out of the city, but once out of sight of the gates, they headed full speed for the mountains. Time was slowly blowing away, as it would take about a month to reach the other side of the mountains. Emerald was thinking of the coming journey. She had never traveled through these mountains before and she wondered what they would encounter. She had been daydreaming about the different scenarios they could end up in when a voice brought her back.

"What was that?" Emerald asked. She had not heard the words over her thoughts.

"I said that I am sorry." Argent said a little angrily at having to repeat himself. _I can't believe it. _Emerald thought. _An apology coming from an assassin, impossible. _

"For what?" she asked. She thought she knew the answer but she wanted to make sure. Argent slowed the horse down and turned around to look at her.

"For everything. For kidnapping you, for knocking you out, and for telling you what I really am." he said. This had been a little more than Emerald had expected. She was still bewildered that he would apologize at all.

"It's going to take more than that for me to forgive you, and to make up for everything you have done to me." she replied. She had to give him credit for saying something though. She had thought that he would never talk to her again.

"I know." Argent said. "But I am not sorry for keeping you with us. Otherwise, we would have been dead or gravely injured during the Elven attack, and we would have never known there is a truth in the prophecy." Emerald stared at him, at a loss for words. Argent spurred the horse on quicker than before, as if he was trying to run from something that he couldn't get away from.

It was two days before they reached the base of the mountains. After Emerald's last ride with Argent, he had let her stay with Anna. Anna had been fun to ride with as she was very open. Emerald had learned a lot about her past, how she had been abandoned with her sister, and about her sister's death. She had also learned what Anna truly was. Emerald had questioned her about her 'gloves' which led Anna to pull down her hood for the first time. When Emerald had seen her face, she had almost passed out. It was not that of a human, but rather that of a white faced fox. Anna went back over her story, this time adding more detail now that Emerald knew one of the crucial details. She explained how both her sister and herself were abandoned in the woods after birth because both were Animors. This also explained her sisters death and Anna's reason to run away when she had been younger. She also learned that Anna and her sister had not grown up as other Animors usually did. Most were blood thirsty thieves that roamed the land in search of weary travelers and lived to see the fear in people's eyes.

Emerald still couldn't get how the Animors existed. Having an animals head must be hard. Emerald had also found out that Anna had a tail. "_Many of us are born with only the heads of animal, but select few can end up with fur on their body or a tail." _Anna had said. Their conversation had made Emerald wonder about the other races. _What is life like for them?_ One day, when all of this was over, she would find out.

The sun was low in the sky when group stopped for the night. They were in a place between two mountains, with a river flowing down the center. Trees were everywhere, as they were still on the outer edge of the range. Anna and Emerald began to make camp while Argent went off to hunt. They were trying to save their provisions until they reached the center of the range, as that was where all the snow gathered and the storms hit. Argent came back a few minutes later with three rabbits. He handed them to Anna and motioned for Emerald to follow him.

They headed deeper into the forest until they reached a clearing. "I found this while I was hunting." Argent said. "I trust you brought your staff."

"Of course." Emerald replied, a little taken aback. Ever since she had got her weapons, she had kept them with her at all times.

"Good." Argent said. "Because we are going to train."

The next hour or so went by fairly quickly for Emerald. It was full of learning how to block, and how to get out of certain situations. By the end of it, she could barely even hold up her staff. Argent taught quickly, but Emerald was a fairly quick learner. Emerald finally collapsed, unable to stand any longer. "You need to improve your strength. You are far too weak to hold your own in a fight. Tomorrow, I will work on conditioning you so you can at least make it through a lesson." Argent said, sounding not at all pleased. During the lesson, he had said very little unless it was instruction. Emerald felt miserable, having thought that she had accomplished nothing.

Slowly, Emerald tried to stand, but fell back. Argent came over to her and half carried and half dragged her back to camp, where he sat her down near a tree. They ate in silence, but Anna kept glancing at Emerald, apparently wondering what had happened. Suddenly, Argent stood up and spun around, facing the treeline. He had his knives out and ready for an attack. Emerald grabbed her weapons and went to stand next to him.

"What is it?" she whispered. By this time, Anna had joined them. A sudden gust hit them, almost sending Emerald falling backward.

"I smell an Elf." Argent said, his eyes darting around, looking in the shadows of the trees. Emerald tested the air, but smelt nothing. _How can you smell an Elf anyway? _she thought. While she was distracted, a shadow jumped out of the branches of a nearby tree and landed in front of them. Despite the firelight, Emerald could not make out any of his features other than his height and hair color. His hair was long, flowing down his back and the white color of the Elven race. Anna charged at the Elf and was thrown to the side as easily as a fly. While the Elf had been focused on Anna, Argent had taken the opportunity to run up on him. The Elf turned around quickly and tried to punch Argent, but he dodged the blow and managed to cut the Elf down his forearm. Emerald felt her magic take over as she began to chant, but as soon as she started the Elf yelled," Stop!"

Everyone froze, including the Elf. Emerald stopped chanting, but her magic was still ready to take over at a moments notice. "I come peacefully." the Elf said. He chanted something and the shadows that surrounded him disappeared. "I do not intend to harm you, as you seem to have a sorcerer amongst you." Emerald finally got a good look at the intruder, he was tall with a very narrow facial structure, and long pointed ears. The Elf turned to look at Emerald and snarled. "A human one." the Elf spat. He was the same that she had seen in her dream in the previous nights.

"Drop all your weapons." Argent called, ready to spring at any moment. The Elf complied and threw down three sets of knives along with two swords and a spear. Emerald was amazed at how prepared this Elf had been. _And he knows magic. _she thought. Argent went and collected all the weapons laying on the ground and threw them into the fire. The Elf snarled, but nothing happened to the weapons or their sheaths. "Magically protected." Argent murmured.

"Why did you attack us?" Anna asked.

"I thought you might be a group of elite assassins sent to capture or kill me, or just make sure I was truly dead." he said. "I was right about the assassin part at least." He glared at Argent, but he only matched his gaze.

"Why are you traveling through the mountains?" Emerald asked. The Elf looked around at the groups faces and settled on Anna's. At first he looked frightened, but then startled.

"You have a Animor traveling with you too." he said, stunned.

"That doesn't answer my question." Emerald snapped.

"I am not traveling, I live here. My home is not far away, and that is why I came to investigate. No one has been fool enough to travel through these mountains for decades, yet here you are, practically on my doorstep." the Elf replied.

"What is your name?" Anna asked.

"My name, is Amar." Argent stiffened when he heard the Elf speak these words.

"That isn't possible." Argent hissed.

"But it is." Amar insisted. "I have been living in hiding for five years and I still have the scar you gave me when we last met." Amar turned around and pulled up his shirt to reveal a nasty looking scar running from his right shoulder blade down to his left hip. "I still remember what you did to me, Shadow. I tried for weeks to heal it, even went to a priest, but nothing worked." he said after turning back around. Emerald wondered what had happened between them and how they had met, but decided to ask later.

Everyone sat there, staring at each other for a good five minutes. Then Anna broke the silence," I don't know about you guys, but I'm hungry." She turned around to tend to the fire and the rabbits Argent had caught earlier. Slowly, everyone went to join her. Amar kept away from the fire after Argent gave him a look. Anna passed around the meat, and hoping to break the silence said," So how did you guys meet anyway?" She directed the question at Amar, but Argent answered," I was sent to kill him. It was only a few years after I had left the colony and my ability wasn't quite as good as now. I found him in the woods at the edge of the mountains, after tracking him for a number of weeks. We battled and I landed the last blow, the scar he now has on his back. I thought it would be enough to kill him, but I was still inexperienced and not as knowledgeable. I left him, thinking he was slowly dying. I should have dealt him a final blow to ease his pain, but something held me back. I learned years later that Elves had a greater healing ability than most races, but I had already forgotten about him." The whole time he was talking, he had been staring at Amar, looking for a reaction in the Elves features. Amar said nothing but listened calmly.

"Wow. So you guys started out on pretty bad terms then. Anyway," Anna said. "We need to find a safe passage through these mountains and quickly. Do you know a route out?" she asked Amar.

"I do," he said, "but why should I lead you out? What is your purpose coming through these mountains?"

"We came looking for a passage to the coast that would not get us spotted." Emerald said.

"And why are you headed towards the coast?" Amar asked.

"To find the rest of the people meant to fulfil the Forsaken Prophecy." Anna put in. Amar looked astonished but quickly regained control of his emotions.

"The prophecy will never come true! Besides, where do you begin even if it was? It is a thing of the past and will not find itself complete in the future."

"We already have two of the six marked." Emerald said. She moved over to Argent and put her wrist next to his. This time, the marks showed brighter than they did before. _Odd. _thought Emerald. Now Amar was truly surprised and he made no attempt to hide it. He walked over to Emerald and Argent and put his wrist next to theirs. The same mark that glowed on Argent's and Emerald's skin made an appearance on Amar's. _Impossible! _Emerald thought. How could this Elf be one of the marked when he was so arrogant and wanted dead by assassins? _Well, I guess it isn't as different as Argent being one, but what had the prophecy said about the Elves? _Emerald thought back, trying to remember. "_Solum's champion will be dark, an outcast among their people. This champion will have an ability long forgotten and greatly feared, one that allows them to see and alter another's mind." _Emerald thought this over, wondering if Amar knew about his ability. Deep inside her mind, she heard a murmur," _Yes."_ She looked over at Amar and he nodded his head.

"Well, then will you help us or not? We already have half of the marked, leaving three to go. If we don't find safe passage through these mountains, then the prophecy will never be fulfilled and you will forever live in regret for not helping us in a time of need." Anna said. Amar appeared to be deep in thought, and was for a few minutes. "I will help." he finally said. "On one condition: that I will be treated equally and that I am kept away from him." He pointed at Argent and glared. "And that I get to use one of the horses from my stables, and I will supply the human with one." he said, almost as an afterthought. Argent agreed, but made it so that Amar could not have his weapons back until they could fully trust him. Amar agreed, a little hesitantly.

"I guess everyone needs to get some rest then. We start early." Amar said. Emerald curled up against a tree, while Anna and Argent kept near the fire. Amar walked to the treeline and sat down, watching the night sky. As sleep overcame Emerald, she thought of the events she had been through in the last few days and wondered what lay ahead.


	6. 5 Elf Attack

Chapter 5-

The next few days went by as a blur. The only thing Emerald remembered was going to Amar's house to get the horses and her training lessons each night with Argent. She had also begun lessons with Amar on the ways of magic.

"Magic travels through a bloodline. Since it does this, it is possible for spells used by the last sorcerer in your family to be remembered by the magic, and passed onto you." Amar had said during their first lesson.

"So the spells I have used are ones that were used by the last sorcerer in my family?" Emerald had asked.

"Yes. The last sorcerer in your bloodline was possibly a warrior mage. Warrior mages were greatly honored and feared during the War of Cynrath." he answered.

Because of the extra lessons, Emerald was thoroughly tired every night. She had learned to sleep in the saddle, but that didn't help much. Her training lessons with Argent had been going well, but she was having a hard time learning everything that was needed about weapons. It didn't help that working at her house her whole life meant she was weak and less knowledgeable than she had thought. Argent had said that strength did not matter if you could master the technique, but Emerald was struggling to do so. Amar led them everyday, as he supposedly knew a safe passage through the mountains.

As the days dragged on, Emerald slowly increased in strength and speed. She was now learning easily and becoming greatly excelled with both magic and weapons. Her last lesson had ended with Argent when she had actually landed a blow. Argent had tried for an overhead strike with his staff, but Emerald saw the move coming and quickly sidestepped and thrusted the end of her staff into his gut. Argent had bent over double, gasping for air. Emerald had patiently waited, excited she had finally hit him. Argent had slowly stood up, giving Emerald a proud, yet hurt look. He was also back in his demon form. "You... finally managed... to catch me... off guard." he wheezed. This only made Emerald smile wider. As Argent slowly recovered, he started to walk around the clearing to catch his breath. When he had fully recovered he said," Next time, we use the knives. It seems that you have learned much with the staff but now you must learn how to attack and defend up close. The staff gave you length, but now is when thought and strength come in." Emerald was shocked. She had no idea that Argent had wanted to train with the knives too. She thought he had been training her with the staff just so she didn't have to use the knives.

"Don't worry." he said as if to answer her unspoken thought. "I won't hurt you, much." Argent chuckled and Emerald tried to laugh but found it hard to not take him seriously. After all, he was a trained assassin. The memory of that day would always be fresh on Emerald's mind, as it reminded her of the danger of the people she traveled with. Emerald stopped trying to laugh, not thinking it was funny, and stalked back to camp angry. Argent followed slightly behind, but Emerald didn't care.

As they neared camp, Emerald began to smell the scent of stew and her mouth started to water. She picked up her pace and left Argent behind. When she arrived at camp, she immediately saw that something was off. Anna was fidgeting near the fire and Amar even looked sad. They nodded at Emerald when she entered the clearing, but refused to say anything. When Argent finally walked up, Anna ran over to him and whispered in his ear. Emotions crossed his face, but he regained control too fast for Emerald to see what they were. By this time, Emerald knew better than to voice her questions, as they would be answered when she needed to know.

Emerald headed over to the fire and got herself some stew. She went to sit down and found Argent staring intently at her. When she glanced around, she also found Anna's gaze settled on her. She pretended not to care and began to eat. When she was finished, she headed out of camp to the only river nearby. She cleaned her dishes and turned only to find Argent behind her. At first she was startled, but then she told herself it was to be expected of an assassin.

"We have to choose a different path through the mountains. The Elves are closing in on us and they have begun to encircle around us. Amar does not know and you are not to tell him." Quick and to the point. It seemed as though assassins didn't have time for small talk. Emerald continued to walk back to camp, pretending not to care. Really, she just wanted to get away from Argent. She didn't know what had set her off, maybe it was that he hadn't really cared that she had finally mastered what he had been teaching her. Maybe it was the easy manner in which he did things that caused her so much more effort. Whatever it was, Emerald couldn't shake the feeling that she wasn't the one in charge of her feelings anymore. All of her thoughts were perfectly normal but her heart seemed broken, and with the sadness came extreme anger.

Emerald was almost back to camp when her powers took over. She still hadn't learned enough to control the magical surges all the time, but she could at least begin to harness the energy. Emerald began to check her surroundings with her mind as Amar had taught her to do. Everything seemed perfectly normal for the first few minutes, but then Emerald caught a slight shift in the magic. Now she saw ten Elves slowly encircling the camp. They weren't far from it; in fact, one was maybe twenty yards in front of her. These Elves seemed much better prepared than the last group had, and the added numbers worried her. Emerald quickly shot a signal to Amar telling him of the oncoming danger, and then turned around to tell Argent. Before a single word escaped her lips, Argent tackled her to the ground as a black shape jumped overhead.

Argent stood up and began making a feral growl. The sound slowly went deeper and the man that had been above Emerald slowly shrunk into a shadowy shape. Argent was now a black wolf but his contour shifted like that of a ghost. Argent growled at the Elf now staring at him, and then let out a fearsome howl. Emerald was not sure whether it was issued as a challenge, or to notify others like him in the area. She turned and ran. Emerald was pretty sure Argent would be able to take on a single Elf by himself, especially with his shift that she had just witnessed. Since Emerald had not known what direction she had ran in, she was surprised when she ended up back at the campsite. The scene before her eyes was gruesome to say the least. Amar had used a series of very complex spells to take out the Elves, as the magical residue suggested.

"It seems my warning helped." Emerald said. Amar merely shrugged while Anna looked at her intently. "Are you alright?" Anna asked. Emerald tried her best to catch her breath and say yes but her voice caught in her throat. All of this that she had witnessed in only a matter of minutes was too much. Everything she had just gone through finally caught up with her as her adrenaline ebbed away. Emerald slowly dropped to the ground as Anna rushed toward her. Amar came at a slower pace, seeming to be battling with something inside himself. Emerald vaguely felt a push on her mind and she lowered her defenses to let Amar in.

Emerald showed him the past few minutes she had experienced and Amar was shaking his head by the end of it. "You really didn't know he could shift? Think back to the prophecy. What did it say about him?" Amar said. Emerald let the memories concerning the prophecy surface in the forefront of her mind. _The champion of Iru will be the last of the wolf shifters. They will have been the best in the colony, yet would have put aside their ways. _It finally clicked for Emerald after replaying the lines in her head. _A wolf shifter? How is that possible? _It would have to take a very dark magic to enchant a whole race to allow them to shift at will.

While Emerald thought this through, Argent quietly snuck into the camp. Emerald didn't even realize his presence until he spoke. "That was only a scouting party. More are coming, and their numbers will be greatly increased." His words sent shivers going up Emerald's spine. She also made a mental note to never end up alone with him, for she didn't know what would happen. "We leave at dusk. Be ready." Argent said before leaving camp.

Emerald stood up and tried to busy herself with work around camp. She felt a nudge at her mind but she ignored it when she figured out who it was. Argent began trying to push his way into her mind but with little progress. Emerald finally lowered her barriers enough for him to send a message across but no more. _Can I speak with you please? _Argent sent. _No._ Emerald immediately replied._Please? I need you to understand what happened._ Emerald shut the connection. She was in no mood to talk to anyone at the moment, especially not Argent.

When all the chores to be found were finished, Emerald slumped down exhausted. She quickly fell asleep, her belly full from the night's meal. No dreams plagued her as they did every other night. At least, not right off. The dreams were extremely different compared to the others Emerald had experienced. These were full of wolves and half demon creatures. An image of Argent in wolf form always surfaced after one ended, and each time he would attack her. Emerald woke up in the morning drenched in a cold sweat. The others didn't seem to notice and she really wouldn't care if they did. Quickly, she went through her usual morning routine which included eating, washing dishes, packing her bedroll, and helping to clean up the campsite of the previous night.

She finished early, already having her horse ready to go and her weapons cleaned. Emerald was impatient to set out, yesterday's event s still weighing heavily on her mind. She looked around at tall, bare trees that surrounded the clearing. Even without leaves, they still invoked a feeling of happiness in her. The sun had just started to rise and Emerald began to hear the songs of birds. She was listening intently when Amar sent out the message that everyone was ready to leave. Emerald promptly swung up on her horse, checking to make sure all of her belongings were safely secured.

She set off briskly, using the visual map that Amar had provided of the surrounding area and the route they were to take. She joined the group after a few minutes, after last night, everyone had thought it to be better to have safety in numbers when traveling. Emerald made sure to stay away from Argent, if that was even his real name. Now, she didn't know what was true and what was not about him. She couldn't trust him anymore, not after what she found out. She had no idea why it hurt her so much, but she didn't like the thought that things were being kept from her.

Emerald quickly snapped back to reality, after being caught up in her thoughts, when her horse stopped. She looked around and found Argent had taken her reins and Amar and Anna had rode ahead. "I don't want to talk." Emerald said.

"Fine then. Don't talk, but at least listen." Argent replied sternly.

"And why should I?"

"Because I can explain everything you saw and more. I can fill you in on the important details of what happened before all this so you understand everything. I cannot tell you my full story, but I can tell most of it."

Minutes went by as Emerald thought about this. _This is my chance to know everything, but maybe I don't want to. _Despite this, Emerald knew she couldn't let all those answers pass. She had to understand what had happened and why.

"Okay then." Emerald finally said. "But not now. Wait until tonight because I have a feeling this is going to take a while."

Argent began to relent but agreed after thinking it all through. He let go of her horse's reins and they silently spurred their horses on to catch up with their companions. The group rode in silence the rest of the day, and slowly, Emerald began to feel the heavy weight of dread set on her.

Night came far too quickly for Emerald. She began with her magic lessons with Amar, but that didn't go too well.

"Sorry." she said after another misaimed spell. "I just can't concentrate."

"No worries. You will do better tomorrow." Amar's face didn't show the confidence his voice had. He looked displeased and also curious, probably as to why Emerald couldn't concentrate. He pressed the subject no further, but instead ended the lesson early. Emerald wished she had tried harder, to try and prolong her talk with Argent. She walked back towards the campsite, as all her lessons were given away from their site so no harm could come to anyone other than the user.

When Emerald arrived, she found Argent waiting for her. Silently, he motioned for her to follow him away from camp. They had been traveling for about ten minutes when Argent finally stopped. It was a small opening in the brush, and the trees seemed to encircle the area. The brisk winter wind stung Emerald's eyes as she looked around. Only a small beam of light made it through the thick canopies of the snow laden trees. She thought it was a good enough place as any. Argent had taken a seat on a nearby log and Emerald followed.

He started slowly, stopping himself a lot to make sure Emerald understood everything. He explained his life as a boy, growing up away from civilization in small groups. Each of the groups would send their people that had come of age to the main group, the one where the Elders resided. Here, the elders would pair everybody up, each person an opponent. The pairs would fight to the death, and how they fought determined their future in the colony. Emerald took all this in, asking questions the whole time. It perplexed her that this really went on in the world outside of society.

After getting through the basics, he picked up the pace, feeling that she would be able to catch on quicker now. "...After running away from the colony, I traveled around the country and met Anna along the way. We traveled together, both of us now orphaned and having no clear purpose. Of course, we began to run out of money and supplies quickly, so I decided to use the skills given to me by the group and put them into use. I hated the job of an assassin at first, but you get used to it and it was easy to be hired. I enjoyed being able to travel so much and the money just seemed like an added bonus. Then of course, there was the gore and hard times the job brought on. Because of my job, I was always on the run, always being hunted. It didn't help that most of my jobs included high ranking people. They were well protected and I had many close death experiences. Me being able to shift helped with much of it though, it gave me quicker healing, more strength, I was faster, and I couldn't be recognized."

"But how is shifting even possible?" Emerald asked.

"Our ancestors are said to have been ancient druids, capable of dark magic. One of their spells had gone wrong, cursing the whole of the line with shifting abilities. It is not considered as a curse for us though, we believe it to be a gift with great powers."

"I think I understand but how is it that you came to be a wolf while others shifted into other forms?"

"Well, that part is a bit complicated. Sometimes it depends on the lineage of the child. If both parents shared the same shifted form, then that was likely to be what the offspring shifted into. Sometimes it depended on the character of the person. If they were fast and cunning as a human, they may shift to be a fox or possibly a snake."

Emerald thought about this for a while. _If he is a wolf, what does that say about his character? _Wolves were viewed upon as ferocious beasts that had a strength and intelligence that many hunters could only hope to match. They were also loyal but were seen as mysterious, magical animals. Her train of thought was broken when an inhuman scream filled the air. Emerald stood up abruptly, and after a quick glance at Argent, started running towards the camp. That scream had been Anna's and Emerald was sure of it.

Her adrenaline pumped furiously as she tore through the forest, not trying to mask her sounds just trying to reach the camp as quickly as she could. Something grabbed hold of her wrist and she spun, swinging a fist as she pivoted. It was caught by a partially transformed Argent. "It's the Elves." he growled. Emerald tried to tug free, wanting to help her friend instead of waste words with Argent. "Listen to me." he said menacingly. When she stopped struggling, he continued. "There are too many of them even with two sorcerers and a shifter. They have already surrounded the camp. Our only hope to free them is to follow the Elves back to the camp and get them out of there as quickly as possible."

"How do you know this?" Emerald whispered. The only response she got was him tapping his nose. He led her on slowly, and now both were moving for stealth instead of in a blind rush through the brush. When they got closer to the camp, Argent motioned for her to stay put as he slinked below the surrounding bushes and fully embraced the wolf. Emerald held her breath, fear and anger coursing through her. How could this happen? Amar should have been able to detect the Elves before they got too close. And what had made Anna scream? It had sounded like she had been in pain but that would mean the Elves would have had to get close. _Unless they had bows. But if that is the case, does that mean that they... _Emerald refused to finish the thought. She was hoping against hope that Anna still lived, as the Animor had shown her comfort over the past few months.

An enraged growl filled the silence that had come before it. A sudden dread filled Emerald and her body froze, its natural reaction to a very real sense of danger. Her eyes swept the surrounding area, looking for a tell tale sign of movement, as her ears strained to pick up the faintest of sounds. Very distant conversations were heard by her, but no meaning could be made of the mumbling sounds. As the noise grew quieter, she slowly made her way after it. Emerald stayed just within hearing distance but not daring to get within sight range, as Elves eyesight was better than humans and she didn't want to risk being caught.

She followed the sounds until a flicker of light was seen ahead. Emerald dropped and crawled the rest of the way to the edge of a very large encampment. She looked around and counted at least ten soldier tents that would hold up to four warriors. A large tent in the very center of the camp caught her eye and she stared at it, believing she had seen it before. Then it hit her. When she was only a child, her mother had taken her to meet with a group of Elves that had been in town. The large tent belonged to the head military advisor of the Elven king, Minthrar. She finished surveying the camp, and saw a very well guarded tent at the rear edge of it. As she took in her surroundings, a plan began to form, and with each added detail, she felt sure she would be able to save her friends and get out of the camp alive.

The first alarm went up in the camp when the horses were set free. Elves ran out, trying to stop them, but they were running with fear in their hearts and would not be stopped. Tents and people alike were trampled by the beasts but that wasn't even the worse of their problems. The fire had started small but grew in size within seconds as it licked up the oil that had been dumped on it. The commander's tent was covered in flames and they quickly spread to the surrounding area, be it people, grass, or canvas.

Emerald watched as the mass confusion took place, waiting for the perfect opportunity to step out of her hiding place. She had killed a camp sentry and stolen his attire which let her get through the camp unnoticed. Her first task had been to cover the side of the commander's tent with oil before being caught. Then she had the task of letting the horses run rampant. That had been more difficult because the horses were bred for war and were extremely hard to scare. She had had to use a hastily made spell to spur them into action without attracting attention. Finally, she ran into the forest and loosed a single arrow. It's flight was true and it went straight threw the wall of the tent but not before the flames caught the oil in their hungry grasp.

The guards had already left the prisoners, but a few stragglers that had been off in the woods were still returning. When a full minute had passed between the last passing Elf, Emerald ran forward. She had come up behind Argent, Amar, and Anna as they had been facing the camp. Anna's form was slumped but it didn't register as anything of importance as Emerald ran up to free the group.

When the first of the bonds on Argents wrist had been cut away by Emerald, he turned and grabbed her roughly by the arm. She froze with fear, not knowing what he was going to do. She looked into his eyes and saw a great sadness along with a new scar running from his nose to his mouth. Emerald tried to speak, but Argent beat her to it. "Anna's dead." he whispered. His voice was hoarse and his face red. _Was he crying?_ She quickly dismissed the idea as the pain of what he had said finally registered. All she could manage was a nod of her head before Argent let her go and she was working on Amar's bindings.

Emerald looked around to see the fire was blazing out of control and the horses were still running wild. A huge black cloud hung over the camp but it was now high enough that it didn't hinder the breathing of the Elves. She let loose a shrill whistle, barely audible to humans but easy enough for a horse to hear. It was only moments they had to wait before the horses showed up one by one. Amar had just finished climbing on his when the first soldier appeared. A knife was in his throat just as a cry escaped his lips, causing only slight gurgling sound. "I believe we just overstayed our welcome here." Argent said as more cries went up from the camp that the prisoners were escaping. With that, everyone rode out of camp and Emerald couldn't help but wonder if she should have brought Anna.

Silent tears fell down Emerald's face as the wind bit into it. The only one that she had truly trusted in the group was now dead. Anna had been the closest thing to a friend she had ever had and now she was gone. _How was she killed? _she thought. She knew Anna wouldn't have gone without a fight and she ached to take vengeance on those that had taken Anna from her. _Maybe it was my fault._ These thoughts kept running through her head as the horses slowed. Emerald paid no heed to what happened after that and all she could remember was the comforting arms of Argent as she had fallen out of the saddle and the world turning black.


	7. 6 The Parvati

Chapter 6-

The strong smell of lavender woke Emerald immediately. Her eyelids fluttered open as they tried to adjust to the blinding light. Heart racing, her breath became shallow, forced lungfuls of air. Emerald began to cough just as her eyes finally managed to open completely. She looked around, not knowing where she was or how she had gotten there. Above her was a planked ceiling and intricately carved pieces of wood followed the outline of the room. As she continued to take in her surroundings, her eyes settled on a figure sleeping in the corner of the room. They wore a dark cloak with the cowl pulled up so it obscured the face. _Have I been kidnapped?_

A light knocking on her door startled her, but she immediately acted as if she was sleeping. She heard the figure in the corner begin to stir and peeked out to see them opening the door. Emerald released a breath she had been holding when she saw the figure in the open doorway was Amar. Both Amar and the cowled character turned to her when the sound reached their ears. "Seems you have finally awaken." Amar said. Instead of trying to answer, Emerald stared at the figure in the cloak who had yet to reveal himself.

As the hooded figure came to the bedside, Emerald couldn't help but let loose a bark of laughter. Even as she did so, questions began to fill her mind. _How long has he been in here? How long have I have been asleep and where are we? Why is he in here? _"What's so funny?" Argent asked as he pulled back his hood.

"I thought you were going to be some scary kidnapper or something. Seems I was dearly mistaken." she replied with a smile even as her thoughts turned to more worrisome questions. "How long have I been out?" Both Amar and Argent glanced at each other before either replied.

"A while." they replied in unison. As Emerald puzzled over there strange behavior and answer Argent said," We are in Redvale. Tomorrow we are due to set off on a merchant's boat headed to Mythton."

"Why there?" Emerald asked even though she already guessed the reasoning.

"To let Anna's family know what has befallen her and to search for the other that bears the Mark." Amar said. The first part came as a shock to Emerald because she had never heard Anna speak of any family other than her dead sister. She accepted the fact though, thinking that she didn't really know that much about her anyway. Emerald laid her head back, letting tears fall down her face as she thought about her brief time with Anna. They had become like sisters, even with one being part fox.

Her train of thought was broken when she heard the door shut quietly behind retreating footsteps. Emerald looked around to find Argent still stood next to the bed but Amar had left. Looking into his eyes, she saw a pained and saddened expression. He began to turn towards the door but appeared to have thought better of it and turned back towards Emerald. Swiftly and quickly, he placed a feather light kiss on her cheek and headed back towards the door. "You are not the only one who carries the burden of her death." he whispered before slipping out the door on quiet footsteps.

It had happened so fast that Emerald wouldn't be able to make much sense of it till a long time past. Her cheek was tingling where his lips had touched her skin and fresh tears coursed down her face as the death of a dear friend and feelings of loneliness washed over her.

She let herself succumb to the feelings until her tears were dried and her heart was filled with a dull, throbbing ache. Emerald had kicked the sheets off and slowly risen from the bed. She found a yellowed slip of paper on the bedside table and carefully unfolded it to read the contents the message carried.

_Clothes are to found in the wardrobe in the corner of the room. Maids will provide you with a hot bath when you awaken. In case no one is there when that happens, you have been asleep for three weeks. Healers said it was a self-induced coma which can be caused by great loss and sorrow. Please meet us down in the main hall when you are up to it. I wish you a swift recovery._

Emerald read it a second time to make sure she hadn't missed anything and then sat heavily down on the bed. _Three weeks in a self-induced coma? Who wrote the note? _She mulled this over as she went to the wardrobe in the far corner of the room. She gasped as the door swung open. Inside were elegant dresses made of silks and satins that were made to hug the wearers body. Picking out a sea blue one, she laid it on the floor. It was scoop-necked with three-quarter length sleeves and only draped over one shoulder, leaving the other bare. Looking in the bottom of the wardrobe, she found several sets of sandals and high heeled shoes. One pair matched the outfits color exactly and was inlaid with semi-precious stones.

She changed and looked in the mirror only to gasp. Her face looked hardened as if it had seen the wilds all its life and her hair was a tangled mess of knots. Emerald found a brush and some pins and set to work doing a wrap around braid. When she finished, she was astonished to find her hair was nearly twice as long as it had been. Done with that, she thought to herself, _Who am I?_ With her thoughts running wild, she headed out of the room down to the main hall.

At the bottom of the stairs, the smell of stew and roast hit Emerald full strength. Her stomach growled as her mouth watered. She looked around the room which consisted of a bar that ran the length of it and many tables and booths spread around. Her eyes fell upon Amar who was sitting at the bar chatting to the innkeeper. The innkeeper wore an apron covered in grime and drink. He was tall and broad with a slight potbelly. His face looked like it had seen many harsh times and the beard he had was medium length and was peppered with gray. Emerald guessed him to be in his early to mid forties.

Turning and spotting Emerald, Amar waved her over. She walked through the empty tavern, wondering what time it was. "Where's Argent?" Emerald asked. Her mind was still lingering on the last time she had seen him and a smile played on her face at the memory.

Amar's faced betrayed a look of irritation before replying," He ran off after he left you. He was supposed to meet me in here but instead he just took off without a word. I thought he might have told you something." Emerald's smile fell at the news and she wondered over the reasoning for his sudden flight. "It appears not." he said with a frown. He looked at Emerald with a great deal of curiosity but she gave an almost imperceptible shake of her head. "Anyway," Amar said as he turned back to the innkeeper," we only need the room for today and food for the morning. Do you know of anywhere in town that we can get the needed supplies for our voyage?"

The innkeeper nodded as he replied,"Aye. Head south a little ways until you come upon a market. They have everything you could need and more. Be careful with yer money though, bunch of thieves travel round those parts of town. Petty things will grab yer money and bolt. They know these streets better than the guard even and will outrun ya in a heartbeat."

"Thanks for the information and the warning. We appreciate the help." Amar said as he turned towards the door. Emerald quickly followed and glanced back to find the innkeeper staring at her like a bag of jewels. She shivered before turning back to find the door was shutting and Amar was already gone. Emerald rushed out, not wanting to lose sight of him as he was the closest thing she could get to a guide when it came navigating the streets of the unfamiliar territory. The door bust open to reveal a beautiful town square with a dazzling marble fountain in the center. Water spouted out of it as kids ran everywhere and people walked around carrying bought goods or just strolling along the streets. If the sight of all this dazzled Emerald, the smell intensified this sense tenfold. Flowers were sprouting on nearby trees and the sweet scent of honeysuckle and vanilla permeated the air.

"Emerald!" a voice called. She jolted out her astonishment and looked around to find Amar waiting under a tree at the other side of the square. Quickly, she walked over with as much dignity as she could muster. Her mothers travels had taken her to large cities, but this one was much larger and more beautiful than any she had ever laid eyes upon. People jostled her as she made her way towards the tree, but as soon as she made it, Amar set off again.

Keeping sight of him was relatively easy, because he was taller than most of the humans that crowded the streets. Catching up to him was a different matter entirely. Hundreds of people clogged the streets and trying to fight her way through them was nearly impossible. _Why are there so many people? Is today a holiday or is some festival going on? _Emerald remembered that neither of her companions had told her what day it was and they had only given her a rough estimate of the time she had been asleep in the coma.

After losing sight of Amar for a few moments, she felt a hand on her arm. Emerald tried to pull away, but it was only half attempted. She looked up to find she was looking at the back of Amar's head. He yanked her through the crowd until it finally died away. The sun was setting and the sky was darkening as she realized that they had headed north, not south. "Where are we going?' Emerald asked.

Amar suddenly stopped and turned to look at her curiously. "Somewhere where we can talk openly without risk of being overheard or seen." Emerald wondered at this and she bit her lip nervously as she looked at her surroundings. They were on the far outskirts of town, possibly not even in it anymore. Moonlight began to find the cracks in the canopy of leaves over their heads. Both of them were under a giant oak, a solitary tree that could have been thousands of years old if it's size was anything to go by. "What happened after I walked out the room? Argent seemed confused and disappointed when he came out. Why did he just rush off."

"He kissed me." Emerald whispered. Thinking about that moment, her cheek began to tingle again. She brushed her fingertips against it to find the skin was warm to the touch. "I don't know why he might have just taken off like that or where he would have gone." Her voice started to break and tears fell down her face for the second time that day.

"Why do you cry?" Amar asked with a look of sadness on his face.

"Because I don't know what to do!" Emerald yelled. "Anna's gone and now I'm left alone trying to deal with both of you. I don't know how I feel towards Argent or if I can trust either of you. It feels like I'm in the dark and I don't know which way to turn. I'm completely lost." She fell to the ground as sobs rocked her entire frame. She was surprised to find Amar's arms wrap around her and hold her.

"Everything is going to be fine. You will figure out what is happening but you are still emotionally traumatized. For the trust part, I know I haven't proven it yet, but I will. Someday I will. Please, let yourself relax. Its harder to make sense of things when you are still tired and in need of rest. We should get you back to the inn."

With a nod of her head, Emerald got up and wiped her tears. "I'm sorry for burdening you with my troubles. I really shouldn't have done that but it just felt like I couldn't hold anything back anymore."

"Its fine, Emerald. If you ever need someone to talk to, I will be there. That is what friends do after all." With those words said, he began to lead her back towards the city where Emerald's thoughts would soon be put at ease.

Emerald ran to the inn, closely followed by Amar. The rain had started when they were about halfway back and it had been poring ever since. Roiling black clouds covered the sky as they released their anger on the world. Thunder shook the ground, causing much alarm among the people. The worst part of the sudden storm was the lightning. It struck often but never set any fires. Other than scaring a good many people, no damage was done.

"We finally made it. I thought for sure we would be struck before we reached this place." Amar said with a laugh. Emerald only managed a sad smile as she looked down at her ruined dress. The days events still sat heavy on her mind and she was ready to get some rest before she addressed them in the morning. Turning away from the door, she headed through the crowded room. It was noisy, most of the sound coming from the drunks at the bar. When she reached the stairs, something prompted her to look back. Doing so, she found herself staring into Argent's eyes. He was sitting on the other side of the room, yet Emerald felt as though she was right next to him. With a slight nod of acknowledgement, she took the stairs two at a time and went to her room. "You going to be alright?" Amar called before Emerald was able to shut the door.

"I'll be fine." she replied.

"If you need either of us, we are the two rooms at the very end of the hallway."

She simply nodded her head before retreating fully into the room. Emerald headed over to the wardrobe and pulled out a night shift. She shrugged out of her ruined dress and slipped off her shoes. The shift had just finished falling over her head when a quiet knock sounded at her door. "Just a moment." she called. A quick check in the mirror and then she was opening the door to find Argent standing there. "Hi." she mumbled as her cheeks turned crimson. Opening the door fully open, she motioned for him to enter before shutting the door behind him and turning towards the center of the room.

"About earlier today..." Argent started.

"Don't worry about it. You did nothing wrong."

"But I did. You don't understand, showing emotion is not something I'm used to. And because of this..."

"Stop." Emerald said as she cut him off. "Don't finish that thought. I don't know what to make of any of this. I need time to figure everything out. Until then, please leave me alone. Once I have sorted everything out, I will tell you, but right now it's just too much." Again, the tears began to flow. _Why can't I stop crying? I'm supposed to be strong, not a weakling girl. _She berated herself for her show of emotions. With her vision blurred, she didn't see Argent walk up to her. Carefully, he put his arms around her and pulled her close.

"I would do what you ask. I promise." he whispered into her hair as she leaned her head against his chest. A scent like the smell of the autumn woods hit her, and immediately she knew it was his. Emerald was surprised to feel wet drops hit her head and she looked up to see tears streaming down Argent's face. "I will protect you from anything and everything that seeks to harm you, but I will keep my promise. Never forget that." He let her go and exited the room.

Emerald threw herself on the bed and let her mind wonder. _What does all this mean? Can we ever truly be together? Will this quest kill us both or just one of us? Can we fulfill this prophecy or will the world be overrun by darkness and hate? What is this rising evil? _With her thoughts running like a tornado, sleep slowly crept into her mind and she was oblivious to everything after that until morning.

The first thing Emerald heard when she awoke was screams. They were screams of terrified people and this frightened her. _What is going on?_ Next, she heard a roar as if a hurricane had blown through. Then the smell of burning wood hit her and her eyes began to water. Coughing, she threw herself off the bed and landed on all fours. She gasped as she realized that everything in her room was thrown around and shattered. Crawling towards the door, careful to avoid the broken and shattered materials, everything stops. Time seemed to slow as the air returned to its purified state and the smoke left the room. The screams were still heard by Emerald, but the whoosh of flames had disappeared.

Emerald hurriedly stood up and ran out the room to see what had happened. She ran down the stairs at full speed and burst out the front door of the inn. A crowd was gathered in the square and more were pouring in to see the burnt building. "Emerald!" Amar yelled behind her. A look of fear was on his face, but also one of anger. "What were you thinking? Why did you do it?" he asked as he neared her.

"I don't know what you're talking about." she said, slightly scared at his tone of voice. "What happened? Why did the fire start?"

"Come on. We need to talk." Emerald followed Amar out into the square and through the crowd. They walked until they came to the same area that they had been at the day before. Looking around, Emerald noticed that something wasn't right about the shadows on the tree. There was one that seemed misplaced in the lower branches of it. _It almost looks like a ..._ Then Argent jumped down and the strange shadow was explained to be the cloak that he was wearing.

Amar and Argent stood by one another and stared Emerald down. When she could bare the accusing looks no longer, she shouted," What have I done? Why do both of you look at me like I should be killed? What happened back there?"

Both exchanged a glance before Amar filled her in. "The fire was magically set. I didn't have to try very hard to figure out who did it. Don't interrupt me until I finish, okay?" Emerald closed her mouth and scowled at having been cut off before she could say anything. "You set the fire Emerald. We don't know why you would but that is what happened. It was your magic. You are stronger than I ever could have realized. To set a whole building on fire and the just suddenly put out the flames?"

"But how could I have done it? I was asleep and woke up to the building on fire. And I didn't put it out either."

"Where you dreaming?" Amar asked.

"Yes, but what does that have to do with..." Emerald stopped herself as she thought it through. She had been dreaming, about flames and heat, about all she had left behind and everything that she had been through. "How is it possible?" she whispered.

"It's simple really." Amar said, not noticing the tears beginning to flow down her cheeks. "If you don't have complete mastery of magic, then when you are not conscious it can make what you are thinking come into reality. Of course, since you are..."

"Was anyone hurt?" Emerald asked, cutting him off, voice still barely a whisper.

"No one was. Everyone made it out in time. Though they are probably looking for an answer as to why the fire started."

Emerald simply nodded her head and began to walk back towards the town. She heard the others whispering behind but she paid them no mind. Her steps slowly became faster and her stride lengthened as her speed picked up. Before she knew it, she was running and leaving the fast following sound of footsteps far behind. Emerald couldn't see through the curtain of tears clouding her vision but she knew where she was headed. Her mind took over as her thought process shutdown.

She finally stopped, choking on the air as she forced herself to take deep breaths. Slowly, her heart rate slowed and her breathing calmed. Emerald sat down, taking in the view as her mind raced once again. She had come to an old part of the town, one that was no longer in use. Emerald stood at the top of a small hill that was on the outskirts of it and looked over the bustling city. The flames had gone down but the building still smoldered. _What have I done? How could this have happened? Why, why why? _Quickly and carefully she spun, sweeping her leg around as she had been taught. Argent hit the ground full force with a _woosh_. "Oh!" Emerald said with surprise. Regaining her composure she asked," What do you want? Why did you follow me?"

Argent slowly stood, breathing hard the entire time while he tried to get enough air back into his lungs. "Seems... you haven't... forgotten everything yet." he managed between gritted teeth.

"You shouldn't have followed me. Don't you remember the promise you made? Does that mean nothing to you?" Emerald barely whispered the words though on the inside she wanted to scream at him.

"I just came to make sure you were alright. Look, you don't need to be angry. It takes time and practice to completely master magic, and even then accidents can happen." he said after his breath was fully caught. "And I do remember the promise," he continued angrily," I only came to comfort you but it seems you have everything under control."

He began stalking away as his words struck Emerald like a knife to the heart. _Maybe I should just let him go. Besides, I still need time to think about everything and the fire only added to my problems. _Even as she thought this, she knew in her heart she was wrong. "Argent!" she called. He didn't turn so Emerald ran to him and forced him to stop.

"You have made it perfectly clear that I am not needed at the moment. And the promise is still in place, remember?" he said before a word could escape her mouth.

"Look, I'm sorry. It's just too much. The only reason I'm pushing you away is because I don't want to have be dependent on anyone. I've gone through my life with a minimal amount of emotion and I'm not used to it. I'm confused and scared, but I don't know where to turn for help." As she had said this, her gaze had dropped, but now she found her face lifted as Argent looked into her eyes. For the first time, Emerald noticed the softer lines of his face, which from afar had looked hard as stone.

"We will get through this. You are not weak; in fact, you're probably one of the strongest women I have met since leaving my home. Don't put yourself down, ever. I will always believe in you. And just because you show how feel doesn't mean you're dependent on that person. Learn to believe in yourself and then decisions and life will be easier. Please, don't push everyone away anymore. It helps if you have someone you can trust." He brought her into an embrace as Emerald's tears flowed freely once more.

She didn't know how much time had passed, it could have been seconds or hours. Slowly, and reluctantly she pulled away. Emerald would have loved to stay like that forever, but there were things that had to be set right. "We need to go back to the inn. I need to get ready for our trip as the ship will probably be leaving soon." While she said this, she noticed that the sun was just beginning to come up over the horizon. "Or not." Emerald mumbled.

Argent followed her gaze as a smile slowly grew on his face. "Guess that gives us time to get to know each other better." With a nervous laugh at what that might fully entitle, Emerald headed back towards the inn with Argent.

Upon their arrival, many questioning gazes turned towards them. A large crowd was still gathered, but many had dispersed after the flaming rage had been conquered. The roof of the inn was destroyed, but still standing. As Emerald watched, it almost seemed as though the structure hadn't been hurt more than charred, as if the flames never ate into, but were held above it. _But that can't be. I saw the flames eating into the building. It shouldn't be standing, and with barely a change upon the structure... It must have been because they were magically set. _

With her thoughts running like the fire had before, Emerald didn't see Amar until she ran into him. "I'm sorry!" she cried. Amar hit the ground hard, and Argent began to laugh. Her face began to heat as it blushed a crimson red. Quickly, she bent down to help Amar up. "I apologize, I didn't see you there. I was caught up in my own thoughts it seems."

With a laugh, Amar said,"Don't worry, I understand. Though," his face changed to a look of stern anger,"if it shall happen again, then punishment must be dealt." Emerald's face was a mask of horror but the red only deepened as he began to laugh along with Argent. "You should have seen your expression!" Amar cried. "It was priceless." Emerald shoved past Amar and into the inn, huffing and puffing the whole way. "Come on, it was only a joke!" he called. She ignored him and continued through the stuffy inn. It smelled of smoke and beer, but the voices were low, not the normal cheery tone they used to hold.

Emerald was at her door before Argent caught up to her. He grabbed her by the arm and tried to halt her, but she twisted out of his grasp and opened the door. She made to slam it but found that it would not close. Upon closer inspection, she realized that Argent's foot was wedged between the door jam. "Get out." she seethed as he continued to push his way in.

"It was only a joke, Emerald."

"That is not the reason for my anger, and not the reason I am shutting you out. As you may recall, I did say that I would need to change before we became, better acquainted. Now, if you would give me but a moment's privacy, I will hurry and then readmit you entry."

"Fine. Sorry." he said mockingly with his hands raised in the air. He turned and strutted out the door. Only after it had closed did Emerald begin to change. She chose a dress of vivid green, the same shade as her eyes, and a pair of silver slippers.

"You may enter." she called. Not a moment went by before the door opened to admit Argent into the room. "We shall not talk in here," Emerald said,"as I believe that some fresh air would do us both a great justice." His only answer was a nod and a short bark of laughter.

"Before we leave, must I ask why you use such grammar. Why not speak as you do in the presence of friends?" Emerald burst out laughing. _When did he learn to use such language? Maybe I need to act like this more often._

"Alright. Formal talk will be left, for now. So, where do you think we should head off to?" she asked.

"I was thinking something along along the lines of a walk down the beach, if you would be fine with that?"

In answer, Emerald walked past him, grabbing hold of his hand on the way and flashing a quick smile. He tensed, but slowly began to relax as they made their way through the crowded inn below. She caught sight of Amar and her stomach flipped. He was glaring at her and Argent with looks of hate and disappointment passing across his face. _Why? What could possibly make him feel as his looks say he does? _Emerald continued on, though with a quickened stride. Upon coming to the outside of the inn, she let loose the breath she had been holding. Trying to cast the memory of Amar out of her head, she lead Argent through the twisting labyrinth of streets toward the sound of the waves.

Emerald rounded a corner to find the beauty of the sea rolling out past white sands. Her breath caught as she gazed upon its sparkling blue waters. The sun was just over the horizon and its glare made the calm sea seem graceful. "I never would have imagined it could be so beautiful." she murmured.

"Not many things can best it in beauty, but I believe I might know one such thing." Argent whispered in her ear. Gazing around, he spotted a large rock at the edge of the waters and began to tug her towards it. Carefully, he hefted her up onto it and soon followed so they were sitting with shoulders touching. "Can you tell me a little about your life before we met?" he asked.

"Not really much of a story there." Emerald grumbled, thinking back to all the fights she had growing up with her rotten sister. "I had a sister, by the name of Pearl, but we never got along. Every time we saw one another, it seemed that it always ended in a fight. My mother wasn't ever around much so I was forced to endure my sisters presence. You see, my mom was an artist, known for her magnificent paintings, and she traveled far to see potential buyers."

"What of your father?"

"He disappeared when I was but an infant. My mother told me he had died, that he was killed in an avalanche, but the body was never recovered." Tears began to flow down her face as she thought of the father she had never known. "But I know he isn't dead. I don't know how, but I just do. He's out there somewhere and I intend to find him." Argent nodded, seeming to understand her feelings.

"You know, Argent's not the name I normally go by."

Wiping the back of her hand over her eyes, she asked," What do you mean?"

"Do you remember when we first met Amar?" Emerald nodded her head, thinking back to very moment in time. "Do you remember what he said about me? He hadn't called me Argent, he'd called me Shadow. That is the name I grew up with, the name that was given to me."

"But why go by Argent then, if it is not your true name?"

"Because I did not want to wish discovery by my people. We are given our names for unique reasons, and if they heard of Shadow, they would know exactly of who you were talking about." Emerald tried to process this information, but it all seemed a little confusing.

"If there are different groups of your race, and many people that live in these groups, how could one possibly know everyone else simply by a name?"

At this, he seemed embarrassed, as if he might have forgotten to tell her something. "Well, they don't know everyone, but I am known throughout all of the colonies."

"But why?" Emerald pressed. In answer, Argent climbed down from the rock and shifted. She gasped at the suddenness of it, still feeling afraid of the form she had seen him in only once. Argent looked up at her with his eyes full of curiosity. After the fear began to dwindle, Emerald noticed the darkness of his coat. It was black, dark as midnight, and it seemed to shine with its own inner light. His eyes had changed, now to the color of the leaves of an oak. He sprang, scaring Emerald into nearly falling off the rock.

"Why would you scare me like that?" she asked, staring straight into the wolf's eyes. The only response she got was a rough tongue traveling across her face. "Ewww!" she cried as she began to wipe the slobber away. Argent made a sound which Emerald took for him choking, but soon realized it was his wolf version of a laugh. Feeling anger rising, she tackled him and both of them fell off. She had her arms wrapped around him as they fell, but in mid air he changed back into his human form. When they landed, Argent found a way to turn her so that he was on top and smiling down at her.

"Get off me." Emerald said as her anger began to settle.

"Why?" he asked. She kicked up, hoping dislodge one of his legs from where they locked hers to the ground. While he worried about blocking that, she brought her fist up and caught him in the stomach. After that hit, it took little effort for Emerald to roll him off as he sought to catch his breath.

"That's why. Anyway,"she answered,"why is being a black coated wolf such a big deal?"

Still wheezing and laughing, he managed to sputter out," Because... I'm the... last of them." This shocked Emerald, so much so that she didn't even notice him stand up. Everything he had told her had made it sound like there were thousands of their numbers which had to mean that some animals would be repeated, not only in type but quite possibly in appearance as well.

"I'm not just the last of the black wolves, but the last wolf altogether. I'm the first that has been born in hundreds of years, and it is the rarest form of my race. Every time one has been born, something huge has changed the course of history, and we are always involved. That is why my being here is seen as both a curse and a gift."

Emerald cried out as she realized Argent's arms had wrapped around her from behind. He turned her around, both of them looking into each others eyes. His head slowly came forward, eyes constantly boring into hers, but she turned her head away at the last second, avoiding the kiss that would have followed. "Not yet." she whispered. "Let's get through this first. Neither of us can afford a clouded judgment if it comes to combat. Please understand."

"I do and I back you on it." He looked to the sky and mumbled," I think it's time for us to go. The ship will be leaving port soon. Can't miss it as not many would dare travel there."

Both began the walk towards the inn, where they would meet Amar and gather their things to be ready for the journey. As they got closer to the inn, Emerald began to feel anxious at the thought of seeing Amar. _How will he react? What was he so angry about anyway? _Then a new thought popped into her head. _Could he be jealous? _Just as quickly as the thought appeared, Emerald banished it. _Besides,_ she told herself, _he couldn't stand me at first, not until he realized my magical potential. Maybe it's just because of his hate for Argent._

When Argent opened the door to the inn, both of them immediately knew that something wasn't right. Malice hung in the air, almost completely blocking out the scents of the tavern. Emerald reverted to using the trick of telepathy to talk to Argent. _Elves, and hateful ones. _Argent sent.

_The same ones still tracking us?_

_It's a possibility. _he replied.

_We need to find Amar and get to the docks then. _Emerald said.

_Already done. He's on his way there now with all of our belongings. Seems he packed them in our absence. _

Argent let the door fall back into position and stepped back into the square with Emerald following close behind. They were halfway down the street when they heard the door open and voices spill into the road. _Don't look back._ Emerald resisted the urge to do just as he warned against, but couldn't help a quick peek over her shoulder. Five Elves had dragged the tavern owner out into the road and were beating him. One stood by and watched, checking the surrounding area for any who might oppose of what they were doing. Just as Emerald looked away, the tavern owner saw them and raised his arm, an accusatory finger pointing their way. She saw his lips move in a voice she couldn't hear, but it was too easy to read what he said. "Them."

"Run." Emerald mumbled, and she took off with Argent effortlessly catching up to her. They sprinted to the docks, only to turn and see the Elves were right on their heels. "Which boat?" Emerald asked after seeing the nearly fifty that were docked in the bay.

"The Parvati, farthest along the dock on your left. Quickly." he said, still not sounding the least bit breathless. Emerald ran, each step jarring her body and hurting her already aching legs. _I will not give up, I will get there in time. _Emerald thought. She was trying to motivate herself though with every step she felt all the energy being drained from her body. Her legs felt like lead, her breath hurt as it came out in ragged gasps. Emerald slowed, her vision blurring and senses beginning to fail her. Her mind shut down and she began to fall, but she was unconscious before her head hit the ground.


End file.
